It is a calamity that would drive most businessmen under.

But Mr Simon Lim is made of sterner stuff.

The owner of Li An Foodstuff lost $1 million when Julie's biscuits were taken off the shelves during the melamine scare.

His company imports the Malaysian-brand biscuits which make up 70 to 80 per cent of his monthly sales of about $800,000.

So it was a terrible blow when the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) banned the entire range of Julie's items in October, after tests found that 12 of its biscuit products were tainted with melamine.

Mr Lim had to cover monthly costs of more than $100,000, for the salaries of over 20 employees and to upkeep more than 10 vehicles, even as cash flow dried up.

But the businessman, who has been operating Li An Foodstuff for 28 years, resolved to ride out the scare, adopting measures such as getting staff to go on leave.

His resilience paid off when the AVA lifted the ban on Julie's products last Tuesday.

The father of four daughters recalls the time the ban was introduced: 'I was stupefied. During the first few days, I felt it was not worth it to hang on for so many years and wanted to give up the business.'

But he decided to hang on when he thought about leaving his workers - many of whom had been with him for more than 20 years - without a job. He also had the encouragement of his eldest daughter Stephanie, who helps in the business.

The decision was not without mental and financial pain. He suffered nightmares of recalled biscuits piling up around his bed.

To counter that, he stuck to his daily routine of swimming and jogging to help him relax. He also made frequent visits to AVA to follow up on the issue.

Not wanting to have to lay off any of his workers, he rostered them to go on leave or take unpaid leave, while he carried on the business of importing the other Chinese snacks and instant noodles he distributed.

'I was sure the ban was temporary and things would be back to normal, so I was thinking that I can withstand it. At most, I would have to cut cost and be more thrifty,' he says.

Now that things are back to normal, he has to win back the confidence of consumers and restore the products' popularity.

He says: 'I'll have to increase my marketing activities, take out advertisements to apologise to the public and assure them, and hire sales promoters to propel sales.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on December 7, 2008.